Commanders' Montez Sweat: Among leaders on tough D-line
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Sweat is part of a defensive line that's expected to lead Washington's defense, The Associated Press reports.
The D-line has been the focus ever since Sweat landed in Washington in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and it got even more attention when the Commanders took Chase Young (neck) second overall the following year. Both edge rushers are now entering contract years, with Sweat playing under the fifth-year option and Young's option having been declined. While not quite dominant, Sweat has been the better of the two so far, recording between five and nine sacks each season while lingering around a rate of one sack every other game. There were some signs last year that he could be headed for double-digits in the near future, as Sweat's 28 QB hits were easily a career high and his 31 pressures tied a previous best.
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Commanders' Montez Sweat: Returns to practice
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Sweat (concussion) logged a limited practice Wednesday, Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports.
Sweat is still clearing the hurdles of concussion protocols, but his ability to return to the practice field is evidence he is trending in the right direction. However, it doesn't guarantee he'll be able to gain clearance to play ahead of Sunday's game with the Giants.
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Commanders' Montez Sweat: Remains in protocols
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Sweat is still in concussion protocols, but he's expected to return to practice Wednesday or Thursday, Matthew Paras of The Washington Times reports.
Sweat suffered a concussion in Week 13's tie with the Giants, but he was unable to gain clearance during the team's Week 14 bye and remains in protocols. However, a return to practice later this week would leave open the possibility for him to suit up Sunday in a rematch with the Giants. With James Smith-Williams still in concussion protocols as well, and Chase Young's debut date still a moving target, the Commanders face the possibility of being thin on the edges if Sweat is unable to play.
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Commanders' Montez Sweat: Leaves with injury
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Sweat is being evaluated for a concussion Sunday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Sweat left Sunday's game against the Giants early and did not appear to return before the game ended in a 20-20 tie. Whether Sweat suffered a concussion is still unknown. If he did, he'll have extra time to recover with the Commanders headed into a Week 14 bye before they play the Giants again in Week 15.
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Commanders' Montez Sweat: Multi-sack performance in win
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Sweat registered three solo tackles, including two sacks, in the 23-10 win over the Texans on Sunday.
Sweat swallowed up Davis Mills for a sack in both the second quarter and the third, producing his second two-sack performance of the year. The 26-year-old has now compiled three sacks over the last two games and is up to six total on the campaign. Overall, Sweat has recorded 31 tackles, including the six sacks, while deflecting two passes over 11 contests this season.
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Football Team's Montez Sweat: Inactive in Week 17
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Sweat (personal) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Giants.
This comes as no surprise after a week in which Sweat was away from the team due to the death of his brother. He'll thus sit out for the sixth time in eight games, with the previous five absences chalked up to a broken jaw and a bout with COVID-19. Sweat's next potential game action will arrive next Sunday against the Giants.
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Football Team's Montez Sweat: Questionable for Sunday
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Sweat (personal) is questionable for Sunday's contest against the Eagles, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.
Sweat hasn't practiced this week due to the death of his brother. It's not yet clear whether the 25-year-old will rejoin the team ahead of Sunday's game against the Eagles, but Casey Toohill and Shaka Toney would likely see increased playing time if Sweat is out.
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Football Team's Montez Sweat: Activated from injured reserve
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Sweat (jaw) was activated from injured reserve Monday.
Sweat was placed on injured reserve Nov. 13 with a fractured jaw and was expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks. During his stint on IR, the 2019 first-round pick also had to traverse and clear COVID-19 protocols. However, despite the setbacks, it appears Sweat will make his return Tuesday against the Eagles. In eight games before his injury, Sweat notched 19 tackles and four sacks.
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Football Team's Montez Sweat: Shifts to COVID list
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Washington placed Sweat (jaw) on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday after he tested positive for the virus.
Sweat was placed on injured reserve Nov. 13 with a fractured jaw, an injury that was projected to sideline him for 4-to-6 weeks. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Washington had some hope that Sweat would be ready to resume practicing this week and potentially return from IR ahead of Sunday's contest against the Cowboys, but his positive test rules out that possibility. As Rapoport notes, Sweat is unvaccinated, which puts him on track for an automatic 10-day quarantine regardless if he's experiencing symptoms. If he's asymptomatic at the end of the 10-day period, Sweat would be eligible to rejoin the team Dec. 18, one day before Washington's Week 15 matchup with the Eagles. Assuming his jaw has fully healed by that point, Sweat could suit up against the Eagles, though his lack of practice reps for the past month and a half may result in him taking on a limited snap count if he plays in that game.
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Football Team's Montez Sweat: Out Sunday
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Sweat (jaw) will not play in Washington's Week 10 contest against the Buccaneers, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Sweat suffered a jaw fracture during Washington's Week 8 loss to the Broncos. The defensive end is not going to need surgery, but he is expected to miss at least a game. Expect Casey Toohill and Shaka Toney to see larger roles against Tampa Bay in Week 10.
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Football Team's Montez Sweat: Cleared for Week 1
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Sweat (illness) isn't listed on Washington's injury report Wednesday.
Sweat was forced to miss Washington's preseason opener against the Patriots with an ailment, but as anticipated, he returned to full health well before the start of the regular season and will be ready to go for Sunday's game against the Rams. The 25-year-old led Washington with nine sacks last season, combining with 2020 No. 2 overall pick Chase Young (7.5 sacks) to form one of the top young edge-rushing duos in the league.
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Football Team's Montez Sweat: Leads team in sacks
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Sweat had a team-high nine sacks in 2020, adding 45 tackles (28 solo), six pass defenses, two forced fumbles and an interception returned for a touchdown.
The 2019 first-round pick played 64.0 percent of Washington's defensive snaps as a rookie and 66.3 percent as a sophomore, starting all 16 games both times. The 2020 performance wasn't exactly a breakout, but Sweat did finish with two more sacks (nine) and seven more QB hits (20) than the previous year, earning PFF's 11th-best grade (80.0) out of 112 qualified edge rushers. Teammate Chase Young was No. 6, so Sweat should have plenty of one-on-one pass-rush opportunities in the seasons to come. The 24-year-old has two seasons remaining on his rookie contract, which can be extended through 2023 via the fifth-year option. It'll be an easy choice for Washington to pick up that option if Sweat's 2021 campaign looks anything like his 2020 output.
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Football Team's Montez Sweat: Good to go for Sunday
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Sweat (concussion) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Giants, Kyle Stackpole of the Washington Football Team's official site reports.
Sweat practiced without limitations Thursday and appears to have avoided any setbacks, leaving him good to go for this clash of NFC East rivals. The 2019 first-rounder needs two more sacks to match his rookie total of seven.
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Football Team's Montez Sweat: Tacks on another sack
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Sweat recorded eight tackles -- 1.5 for a loss -- and a sack in Sunday's 30-10 loss to the Rams.
Sweat produced a career high for tackles in a game, doubling his total for the season. It was an outstanding effort for the 2019 first-round pick, as he now has three sacks through five games and should have a chance to hit double digits in the category this season.
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Redskins' Montez Sweat: Set for expanded role
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Sweat will have a larger role for the final three games of the season since Ryan Kerrigan (calf) is on injured reserve, Zach Selby of the Redskins' official site reports.
Sweat played 69 percent of defensive snaps Week 14 against the Packers, tying a season high, and his workload should expand in the absence of the team's top pass rusher. The rookie first-round pick has 40 tackles (23 solo), five sacks and one forced fumble through his first 13 games.
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Redskins' Montez Sweat: Takes down QB
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Sweat made three solo tackles and a sack in Sunday's 24-9 loss to the Bills.
The rookie first-round pick will carry 2.5 sacks through nine games into the bye week. He continues to log high snap counts, and his modest success through the first half of his rookie season signals he has a good shot to live up to his hype.
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Redskins' Montez Sweat: Unlikely to play Thursday
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Sweat (calf) is expected to sit out Thursday's preseason contest against the Browns, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.
Sweat has not practiced since receiving a kick to the calf last Wednesday, and he has now missed over a week of training camp. It appears that Washington is simply taking a precautionary approach to the rookie first-round pick's health.
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Redskins' Montez Sweat: Dealing with lower-leg injury
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Sweat was diagnosed with a lower-leg injury and is considered day-to-day, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.
Sweat was forced to leave practice Wednesday and was spotted walking off the field with a limp. It seems that the 26th overall pick in April's draft escaped a serious injury, and the expectation is that he will continue to be monitored closely. Expect the team to play it safe with their prized first-round pick and to provide updates as training camp goes on.
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Redskins' Montez Sweat: Headed for starting job
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Sweat has a good chance to beat out Ryan Anderson for a starting job, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Sweat fell to 26th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft after a medical exam revealed a heart condition, but subsequent reports suggested he was misdiagnosed. Whatever the case, he left no doubt about his first-rate athleticism at the combine, where he ran a 4.41 40-yard dash after checking in at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds. Anderson was a solid prospect in his own right a few years back, but the 2017 second-round pick is nowhere near Sweat's level from a physical standpoint and has just two sacks on 356 defensive snaps through 27 NFL games. Anderson's decision to skip voluntary OTAs left the rookie unopposed for first-team work at outside linebacker throughout most of the offseason program.
